Israeli-backed militia leader Abu Shabab killed in Gaza: Reports

RAFAH – 4 December 2025: Israeli collaborator Yasser Abu Shabab, known for leading an Israel-backed militia opposed to Hamas, was killed in a gunfight in Gaza, Israeli media reported on Thursday, citing security sources.

Abu Shabab was evacuated to a hospital in southern Israel after being seriously wounded and later succumbed to his injuries, according to the sources.

Israeli authorities are still examining the reports surrounding the incident.

Multiple Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post that Abu Shabab was killed during an internal clan dispute rather than by Hamas fighters.

Abu Shabab’s militia, operating in an area of southern Gaza under Israeli military control, had cooperated closely with Israel and received weapons from Israeli forces.

In July, the Joint Operations Room of Palestinian Resistance Factions, which includes Hamas, has declared that Abu Shabab is now marked for killing, calling him “a hired traitor.”

The factions said Abu Shabab group was formed by the Israeli army and that the Israeli government has admitted arming and operating them to serve its interests.

Abu Shabab earlier acknowledged that his forces receive weapons from Israel to confront Hamas.